Police arrested two youths for directing laser beams from building roofs in northern Jeddah into the cockpits of passenger airplanes traveling at a landing latitude near King Abdul Aziz Airport. Many pilots reported pulsating laser lights shined into their cockpits, appearing when their planes were only a few kilometers from King Abdul Aziz International Airport. The laser had to have been fairly sophisticated to track a plane traveling at a lower latitude. Laser beams can distract or temporarily blind a pilot. It is believed that air traffic controllers used radar to determine the laser came from a residential area in northern Jeddah. Police dispatched patrol cars to the neighborhood to investigate, leading to the arrest of the two young men who admitted to the offence. It was not clear yet whether the incident was a prank or if there was a more sinister motive. The two were referred to the Bureau of Investigation and Prosecution to complete the investigation. __
